Willow Trikova: Hidden Grounder (Bellamy Blake Love Story)
by Suni Amari
Summary: Willow Trikova is different from the other people on the Ark, she reads every book she can get her hands on and luckily she can memorize it the first time she reads it. Got smarts and wisdom from her mother and fighting and stealthiness from her father. Her parents got floated when the council found out about her being their second child. She was put in The Sky box when she was 10.
1. Day 1 Starts Now

" _I feel the sun on my face. I see trees all around me, the scent of wildflowers on a breeze. It's so beautiful. In this moment, I'm not stranded in space. It's been ninety-seven years since a nuclear apocalypse killed everyone on Earth, leaving the planet simmering in radiation. Fortunately, there were survivors. Twelve nations had operational space stations at the time of the bombs. There is now only the Ark, one station forged from the many. We're told the Earth needs another hundred years to become survivable again. Four more space-locked generations, and man can go home, back to the ground. The ground, that's the dream. This is reality."_

"6347, 6348, 6349, 6350, 635-"

[Door opens]

[Four guards walk in]

Guard 1: "Prisoner thirty-seven drop to the ground, face the wall, and put your hands behind your back."

She dropped to the ground, faced the wall, and put her hands behind her back.

"What is the meaning of this? I'm not going to complain, but I still have 2 years and 13 days before my execution."

Guard 2: "I'm surprised you're not fighting back, they sent 2 extra guards so we can take you in. You 3 may go, I'll take care of her."

[The 3 guards leave]

"You didn't answer my question, that is quite rude. If you decide to not tell me what you are doing with me then I shall put up a fight."

Guard: "You and 99 other prisoners are being sent down to Earth to save oxygen for the rest of us and to see if Earth is survivable again."

The guard snaps a metal bracelet on her wrist.

Guard: "Please do not take this off when you get down to Earth, it takes your vitals and transmits it back here to the Ark."

"It hurts like a bitch, so on my 7th day at noon, I will take it off. If by some chance we lose communication that will let you know that I survived the radiation for at least a week and hopefully if communication did go down they'll be up by then."

Guard: "Thank you that should be sufficient enough and I would like to give these to you. I also put two bags, and fathers katana's in a compartment underneath your seat incase any of the others try anything."

The guard hands her their father's knife with a holster that their father made and a kunai pouch with kunai's in it. She put her father's knife on her left wrist and pulled her jacket sleeve over it and the kunai pouch on her left thigh.

"Thank you brother, I really appreciate it. Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim. Ai hod yu in. Leidon." (May we meet again. I love you. Goodbye.)

Guard: I will have to knock you out, but you'll wake up in about 5 minutes strapped into a dropship seat. Remember everything you were taught, if you survive the radiation, find water, food, and build shelter. Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim. Ai hod yu in. Gouthru klir." (Safe passage.)

The guard hits her on the side of the neck an catches her when she falls.

~~~ Exodus Ship ~~~

Willow Trikova P.O.V.

I wake up and look around to see I am in the dropship my brother talked about with the prisoners. I look out the window to see the Ark getting further and further away.

" _I miss you already brother and I hope Earth is as beautiful as we dreamed it would be."_

I look around at everyone and listen to see if they know anything I don't.

Wells: "Welcome back."

At the sight of Wells the girl next to him tries to lunge at him.

Clarke: "...You sonofabitch!"

A safety harness holds her back just like everyone else. I look around to see that all the delinquents are terrified.

Wells: "Look, I know that we broke up, but –" Before he could finish she interrupts him.

" _Must have been a terrible break up for her to be pissy like that…or she could possibly just be a bitch."_

Clarke: "Wells, why the hell are you here?!"

Wells: "When I found out they were sending the prisoners to the ground, I got myself arrested...I came for you."

" _Awww, how sweet."_

Clarke glares at him, with multiple levels of disbelief in her eyes, but before she can respond A girl across from them says.

Random Female: "Aww, the royal couple is fighting."

Everyone around starts to laugh, but it is cut short when the ship is suddenly jolted.

Gasps were heard from all around. I gripped the safety harness.

Clarke: "...What was that?"

Wells: "That...was the atmosphere."

" _Smart boy."_

I looked out the window is awe but, it gets cut short when an even bigger jolt occurred. As if triggered by the bumps, the video monitors around the cabin I saw earlier suddenly flash to life with a pre-recorded message:

[on video screen]

Chancellor Jaha: "Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance."

" _Really now? I sure would hope so."_

Despite this group's almost universal resentment of authority, in this moment of terror, the appearance of the ultimate authority figure provides some with relief, but not for me.

" _We are either going to survive this or not, him being there on the screen, is not going to help us in anyway."_

Chancellor Jaha: "As your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but for all of us. Indeed, for mankind itself..."

" _Of course you do Jaha and you must not care or care an incredible amount for your son to do this for him."_

I see Wells reacting differently seeing his father and his eyes brim with tears. Clarke looks over, but he refuses to meet her stare as she whispers something to him.

Random Male: "Your dad's a dick, Wells."

~~~ Outside the dropship ~~~

The dropship, like the Ark, has been cobbled together. Three levels stacked from largest to smallest. Pyramidal. Right now, it's in free-fall, sparks becoming flames as the heat shield meets the thickening atmosphere.

~~~ Inside the dropship ~~~

Chancellor Jaha: "You have just begun the descent into Earth's atmosphere. I won't lie. We have no idea what waits for you down there..."

" _I wouldn't see how you would know, that pretty obvious."_

Chancellor Jaha: "If the odds of survival were better, we would have sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you...expendable. If, however, you do survive, then those crimes will be forgiven. Your records wiped clean. No execution upon your eighteenth birthday. No review. No probation. A second chance. This is not, however, a waiver against future crimes. While unsupervised, you will adhere to the laws of the Ark, or you will be punished under them. You have one job, ladies and gentlemen, one responsibility... Stay alive. Two months. That's how long it will take to be certain that it's safe for the rest of us to follow..."

" _Of course I'm going to stay alive and that will be done best by staying by myself."_

Just then, a severe jolt opens a storage compartment. A few rolled maps spill out, floating weightlessly overhead and I grab one incase I don't have one in the backpacks brother was talking about.

Chancellor Jaha: "In the meantime, some of you may be tempted to strike out on your own. Don't. Your drop site has been chosen carefully."

" _I think I'll have a greater chance at surviving on my own Chancellor, everyone else will slow me down."_

A face in the crowd gets my attention and his ruggedly handsome face lights up when he sees the floating maps.

Finn: "Oh, hell yes." With that, he draws a shiv from his boot and cuts the straps of his harness, floating out of his chair, loving it.

" _Stupid boy, he's going to get himself hurt. I got mine because, I could reach it. Had I not been able to, I would've waited till we landed to get it."_

Chancellor Jaha: "Before the Last War, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain in order to shelter the government of the United States..."

Finn launches himself, soaring enthusiastically through the air and the crowd cheers.

"Spacewalk Bandit strikes again!"

"Whoo!"

"Go, Finn!"

Two more boys follow his lead, cutting loose, then flying.

Chancellor Jaha: "...No one ever made it there. According to the archive, it was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years. Because we could spare you no food, water, or medicine, you must immediately locate those supplies."

Finn drifts over to Wells, hovering above him...

Finn: "Check it out. Your dad floated me after all."

Laughter comes from the delinquents, but not Wells and Clarke, a slight smile.

" _Wow, that boy is not only stupid, but a dick as well."_

Chancellor Jaha: "I cannot stress this strongly enough... Mount Weather is life."

Clarke: "You should come down before the parachute deploys. All of you."

Chancellor Jaha: "It is from there, God willing, that the next age of man will begin... with you."

Finn turns his attention to Clarke. Because he ignores her warning, so do the other two now-somersaulting floaters.

Finn: "You're the traitor who's been in solitary for a year."

Chancellor Jaha: "Finally, I'm sure you're wondering about those wristbands..."

Clarke: "You're the idiot who wasted a month of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk."

Finn lowers almost to her lap, floating on his back...

Finn: "Yeah, but it was fun. I'm Finn."

Chancellor Jaha: "They are not punishment. They are a lifeline. They are how we will –"

That's when I feel the parachutes deploy. Sudden rapid deceleration ends the boys fun in an instant. The awful sound of metal tearing comes from all around the dropship. The video monitors go black and the floaters slam to the floor with bone-crushing force. The two boys who followed Finn are killed instantly, thankfully they only went through a brief moment of intense pain. Finn was near the floor when we crashed so he survived it.

Wells: "Clarke, stop! The harnesses won't release until we're on the ground!"

Clarke: "Finn! Are you okay?!"

He nods, shaken but unharmed from the looks of it. She points to the others.

Clarke: "Check on them!"

Finn is making his way across the unstable floor, but before he could reach the boys, an explosion comes from below. Another huge jolt and another collective of screams.

Wells: "It's okay! Just the heat shield popping off! Retro-rockets are next! Three seconds, two, one."

Nothing happens. Wells is suddenly terrified...and so was I.

" _They should have fired by now."_

As if reading my thoughts Wells says the same thing.

Wells: "... They should've fired by now."

As I listens, it dawns on everyone with a brain, that we might be dying a lot sooner than we thought.

Wells: "... Clarke, there's something I have to tell you…I'm sorry. All I did was ask my father a question. To this day, I have no idea how or why that got you and your father arrested."

She holds his stare and from the look in her eyes she can't believe he's doing this now.

Wells: "Please. I love you. I can't die knowing that you hate me."

Clarke: "They didn't arrest my father, Wells. They executed him...I do hate you."

" _Hot damn that was a bit harsh, even if he's the cause, he thought he was helping. If anything you should hate Jaha for implementing the law and our ancestors for making us come up to space."_

The rockets finally fire. It sounded like a volcanic roar. Again, bodies react to the sudden deceleration, but then flight begins to stabilize.

" _Of course, as soon as I start to believe that I might actually make it, the worst of it begins. Shaking unlike any others that have come before. This isn't turbulence, I know it isn't, it's something else and I have no idea what is going on. Hundreds of individual collisions, but we are not yet on the ground. They could possibly trees, but we will find out when we finish crash landing. A few more terrifying seconds and...silence. Gradually, it becomes clear that we are actually on the ground."_

Random Female: "... Listen. No machine hum."

Finally, and all at once, the harnesses release. Clarke starts instantly for the boys lying on the floor as, all around her, people are slowly rising.

" _I will wait until this is mostly clear so nobody sees me getting my things."_

I think as I stand and put the map in my back pocket for now.

Random Male: "The outer door's below! Let's go!"

Nearly to the motionless boys, Clarke hears that and whirls.

Clarke: "No! We can't just open the door!"

I see Clarke climb down and I can hear her pushing her way threw the crowd of people.

" _I guess it's cleared out enough to get my things."_

I crouch down and open the compartment underneath my seat to see everything my brother left me.

" _Thank you again brother."_

I gather my things starting with putting my katana's on my back (it's two swords in one sheath.) so I can't reach it and place the backpacks over them. I hear Clarke yell and decide to make way down with everyone else.

~~~ Lower Level ~~~

Clarke: "STOP!"

Everything stops. The young man turns. He seems to be six or seven years older then me. His shirt and pants are splattered with blood.

Clarke: "The air could be toxic!"

Bellamy watches Clarke force her way through the crowd.

Clarke: "You're hurt."

He turns back to the door to avoid her hand.

" _Hmm, I wonder what happened to him."_

Bellamy: "If the air's toxic, we're all dead anyway."

He grabs the lever again and yet Clarke still tries to stop him.

" _I don't see why. I mean I agree with him, we would."_

Octavia: "Bellamy?"

Bellamy turns to see Octavia frozen on the ladder. His face softens at the sight of her. Seeing that it's him, she jumps down and rushes toward him.

Bellamy: "... My God, look how big you are."

Octavia: (leaping into his arms) "What are you doing here?"

Bellamy: "Someone had to keep an eye on you."

It's a nice moment that Clarke has to ruin by noticing he doesn't have a wristband on.

Clarke: "Where's your wristband?"

Octavia: (openly hostile) "You mind? I haven't seen my brother in three years."

Random Male: "No one has a brother..."

Random Female: "Why do you think they locked her up?... That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor."

" _How rude, that was a wonderful moment and everyone has to ruin it by putting their opinions in. So what if almost nobody has a brother or sister, it doesn't mean you have to saw something about it."_

Octavia's infamy, unlike Finn's, induces pity not admiration. Enraged, she recklessly lunges at the last person to speak, but Bellamy holds her back by the waist.

" _I would have wanted to do the same thing."_

Bellamy: "Octavia, no. Let's give 'em something else to remember you by."

Octavia: "Like what?!"

Bellamy: "Like being the first person on the ground in a hundred years."

With that, he finally throws the lever. Daylight streams in. The sight of trees. A breeze. It's the same in all of their faces. For a moment, no one can move. They just stand there gazing out in awe at...

Clarke: "... A forest."

The crowd surges, but Bellamy stands his ground, blocking the door as he gestures for his sister to lead the way. Octavia hesitates, but just for a moment, before seizing her chance to make history. Octavia steps out, looking around in wide-eyed amazement. Behind her, the others are waiting, mainly because Bellamy won't let anyone follow. The ship has come to rest in the middle of A prehistoric forest. Fallen trees are everywhere, many still smoldering. Taking in everything, Octavia milks her "one small step for man" moment for several long seconds, before finally thrusting out her arms and yells.

Octavia: "WE'RE BACK, BITCHES!"

It incites a mad rush from the ship. The stampede forces forward, but thankfully I'm further back. I wait for everyone before I make my way out. The feel of the sun on my skin. The scent of real air in their lungs. The sight of so much green. Already I sense something primal happening here.

" _As much as I want to enjoy the view, I need to find out where I am and where the closest water is."_

I pull out the map I had in my back pocket and look around to see I need to climb a tree to see what mountain I am on. When I get to the top I look around and I notice something.

" _They dropped us on the wrong mountain. I guess it isn't bad for me since I planned on leaving them anyways."_

I figured out we landed about twenty miles away from Mount Weather. I jumped down to the medium branches to listen to what everyone was saying, but not being seen.

Finn: "Why so serious, Princess?"

She looked surprised that someone was talking to her, she looks over, sees Finn already perched in a neighboring tree.

Finn: "It's not like we died in a fiery explosion."

She looks back out, back to the map...

Clarke: Tell that to the two boys who followed you out of their seats."

" _Ow that's got to hurt and by the look on his face it probably did."_

She points over to Mount Weather.

Clarke: "You see that peak over there?"

Finn: "Yeah."

Clarke: "Mount Weather. There's a radiation soaked forest between us and our next meal."

" _Well at least she knows how to read a map, but I think if the radiation was going to hurt us, I think it would have already."_

Clarke: "They dropped us on the wrong goddamn mountain."

Finn looks back out.

Finn: "Shit, A good view spoiled by the realization that they are well and truly fucked."

" _As if she seems like the Negative Nelly kind of person. Oh shit, I just realized I listened in on a private conversation. "_


	2. Meeting The Delinquents

~~~ Recap ~~~

" _As much as I want to enjoy the view, I need to find out where I am and where the closest water is."_

I pull out the map I had in my back pocket and look around to see I need to climb a tree to see what mountain I am on. When I get to the top I look around and I notice something.

" _They dropped us on the wrong mountain. I guess it isn't bad for me since I planned on leaving them anyways."_

I figured out we landed about twenty miles away from Mount Weather. I jumped down to the medium branches to listen to what everyone was saying, but not being seen.

Finn: "Why so serious, Princess?"

She looked surprised that someone was talking to her, she looks over, sees Finn already perched in a neighboring tree.

Finn: "It's not like we died in a fiery explosion."

She looks back out, back to the map...

Clarke: Tell that to the two boys who followed you out of their seats."

" _Ow that's got to hurt and by the look on his face it probably did."_

She points over to Mount Weather.

Clarke: "You see that peak over there?"

Finn: "Yeah."

Clarke: "Mount Weather. There's a radiation soaked forest between us and our next meal."

" _Well at least she knows how to read a map, but I think if the radiation was going to hurt us, I think it would have already."_

Clarke: "They dropped us on the wrong goddamn mountain."

Finn looks back out.

Finn: "Shit, A good view spoiled by the realization that they are well and truly fucked."

" _As if she seems like the Negative Nelly kind of person. Oh shit, I just realized I listened in on a private conversation. "_

~~~ The Ark ~~~

An agitated crowd has gathered in the atrium that connects GO-SCI to the rest of the Ark through a system of tubes. A good sample of the populace, they are hard-working and hard-edged. Life in space is not easy and it shows on every face.

A guard unit backs up the Ark's Chief Communications Officer, Callie Cartwig, everyone calls her "Cece." This is the part of her job that she hates. The lying part.

Cece: "Folks, as I said, at this time, we can't confirm or deny anything."

Random Male: "I saw a ship launch...Not more than 20 minutes ago...Who was on it?..."

Random Female: "Was it the prisoners...They going to Earth?...Has something changed?"

The guards are clearly about to move in when a woman in the crowd whistles loudly, bringing instant quiet. Like many here, she's come from work, in her case as a mechanic. Unlike most, Raven is in total control.

Raven: "Cool it. Our elected leaders would never send our kids to die without telling us. Isn't that right, ma'am?"

Cece holds her stare, offering her best bullshit smile.

~~~ Monitoring Station ~~~

Cece strides into a jury-rigged control room. Wires are showing everywhere. The mood here is dark, verging on panic. As she heads for the high-level group at the center of the technological swirl, her eyes take ours to the big board: A monitor wall split into a grid of a hundred separate feeds, one for each wristband. Vital signs and mug shots are there. Cece stops beside the man who is clearly in charge: Kane.

Communication Tech: "Total system failure! That's what we're looking at here. We know they were off course when we lost contact... There's no way they landed at Mount Weather."

That hits hard, darkening everyone's expression.

Communications Tech: "Other than telemetry from the wristbands, we got nothing. No audio, no video, and no computer link. Right now, we have to assume they can't access the system from the ground either. That means everything we programmed in to help them is gone. Other than a few old maps, they're on their own."

Kane is about to respond when he sees Cece at his side...

Kane: "Cece, we're a little busy."

Cece: "Rumors are spreading... sir. Most of them true. We have to at least tell the families something."

Kane: "Fine. Take this down...We regret to inform you that your delinquent sons and daughters who will no longer be consuming resources they don't deserve may or may not be dying in a radioactive haze on the ground. How's that?"

Cece: "Can't confirm or deny, it is."

With that, she heads for the board where we now see Abby monitoring wristband signals with her team of apprentices. It's clear at once that Cece and Abby are dear friends...

Cece: "Hey, darlin'... How's Clarke doing?"

Abby: "Third row, second square down. Vital signs are strong. Blood sugar is low. She hasn't eaten."

We see Clarke's defiant mug shot. Emotion threatens, but as Kane strides up to address the medical team, she buries it.

Kane: "Okay. Here it is: Communication is down. Everything. Unless one of the prisoners can put it back together on their end, it's going to stay that way. Which means, unfortunately, we're still blind to conditions on the ground. Although thanks to Abby's wristbands, at least we will know how those conditions are affecting the human body. That's more than we have had for a hundred years. So nice work, but now what are they telling us?"

His lack of emotion bothers Abby, but she stays focused.

Abby: "Two dead kids. The dark tiles."

Kane sees now that there are indeed two of the tiles on the big board are dark. We recognize the mug shots of the dead floaters.

Kane: "At least it's not Clarke or Wells."

Cece: "Where is the Chancellor anyway?"

Abby: "He'll be here. Dr. Jackson, please share your theory with Councilor Kane."

Jackson is Abby's chief apprentice and assumes the floor.

Jackson: "Of course. Granted, they've only been on the ground seven minutes, but as of now, we believe that the fatalities are due to the landing, not to the radiation levels."

Abby: "Both boys died at the same time we lost contact with the dropship."

Kane: "Rough landing? That's your theory?"

Abby: "The dots connect."

Kane: "Would you agree that if it was radiation, we'd see the number of fatalities climb fairly quickly now? Because I'm noticing quite a lot of red on your board, Doctor."

We notice it now, too: Many of the tiles are lined in red.

Abby: "Spiking vital signs. There are two possibilities. One is injuries sustained during landing."

Kane: "And the other?"

Abby: "They're excited to be there."

Kane is concerned about wishful thinking, but before he can say so, a phone rings on the console. Abby answers...

Abby: "This is Doctor Walters. (instantly deadly serious) On my way. (hanging up; then) Jackson, put the word out. We need blood. A-neg. A lot of it. Then get your ass to the OR."

Cece: "Abby? What is it?"

Abby: "The Chancellor has been shot."

~~~ The Camp ~~~

Willow Trikova P.O.V

I watch from the trees as the rest of the delinquents spread out around the area surrounding the dropship. I see Wells stride from the dropship and when he spots Clarke kneeling over the map beside the stairs, he sits down beside her.

Wells: "We have got some problems."

She doesn't look at him, still can't believe he's here.

Wells: "The communication system is dead. I went to the roof. A dozen panels are missing. Heat fried the wires."

" _Hmm, it seems they might need some help, I don't know much, only just the very basics. It was from a book my brother stole for me to read, he put the book back and I doubt anyone recognized that it was gone for the one day. I hope not all of the wires are fried, that would be bad."_

Clarke: "Right now all that matters is getting to Mount Weather."

Using the peaks she observed earlier in the tree above, she draws lines, tapping the spot where they intersect.

Clarke: "This is us. (tapping Mount Weather) This is where we need to be if we wanna survive."

Wells: "Where'd you learn to do that?"

Wells: "Your father."

Clarke: "(getting in his face) Let's get something straight, okay? What I said on the way down, I meant. But you're here-God knows why-so we're gonna have to work together. That does not mean –"

Wells: "I chopped down the Last Tree."

Clarke: "The willow? I loved that tree."

" _Awh, now that's sad. Also very terrible for everyone on The Ark."_

Wells: "Me, too. We had our first kiss under it...But I needed to do something that would get me on the dropship."

Clarke: "Good for you, Wells. Now I hate you and think you're a dick."

Just then the boy I believed to be Jasper Jordan steps up beside Clarke.

Jasper: "Cool, a map. They got a bar in this town? I'll buy yah a beer."

Clarke smiles and Wells spins Jasper around, pushing him away.

" _Obviously he thinks he still has a chance with her. He should give up and find someone else. If it's not meant to be then it won't happen, it's a simple as that. Plus she doesn't seem interested anymore and I can understand why. Even though I would forgive him, I probably wouldn't be able to ever date him again if I was in her spot."_

Wells: "You mind?"

Another boy sees this and strides up. This one is threatening. So is the posse of delinquents behind him.

Boy: "Hey! Hands off! He's with us!"

Wells: "Relax. We're just trying to figure out where we are."

Bellamy and Octavia wander up on the other side...

Bellamy: "We're on the ground. That's not good enough for you?"

Wells: "We need to find Mount Weather. (to the gathering crowd) You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."

" _Uh oh, maybe if it wasn't one of the privileged, they might listen. To bad Bellamy doesn't seem like that's what he wants and so far, he's the one leading them."_

Octavia: "Screw your father! You think you're in charge here? You and your little princess?"

Wells: "Don't call her princess."

" _Of course, that prompts everyone to now start calling her that. If I decide to join them openly I'll have to call her that."_ I smirked and crouched lower in the tree.

Clarke: (Shakes her head) "You think we care who's in charge? We need to find Mount Weather. Not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get, the harder it'll be. How long do you think we'll last out here without those supplies?"

" _You might not survive, but I will. Now that I think of it I should start to make a few bows and some arrows before I leave to find some water."_

I look around at the trees trying to find a Yew tree or a Maple tree. As I was looking I was still listening to everyone.

" _Hopefully I find a yew and maple tree. The book I read back on the Ark said Yew made the strongest and most durable longbow and Maple was very durable wood for arrows and that Maple was one of the best keeping the arrows straight."_

Clarke: "We're looking at a 20 mile trek. If we wanna make it before dark, we need to leave...now."

Bellamy: "I got a better idea...You two go. Find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change."

" _That doesn't surprise me and I actually agree with him. They had it the best and they didn't have to work for everything they had and had it handed to them."_

A cheer goes up. Bellamy looks surprised by it, and from what it seems he likes the feeling. Clarke regards him warily. Wells plows ahead...

Wells: "You're not listening. We all need to go."

Just then, a particularly rough boy, John Murphy, steps up, shoving Wells in the back.

Murphy: "Look, everybody. It's the Chancellor of Earth."

Laughter from the crowd. Wells rounds...

Wells: "You think that's funny?"

Without blinking, Murphy executes a vicious leg sweep, throwing Wells to the ground.

John: "No...but that is."

" _Poor Wells, I might help if it gets bad. I wond-"_

I spot a few Yew and Maple trees and start dashing through the trees being as quickly and quietly as possible. I hear a twig snap behind me and pulled my katana out simultaneously while turning around. I blend into the shadows only my blue eyes showing. I wait for a few minutes to see if someone will come out.

" _I know I heard someone break a twig, they probably left, but I will need to keep my guard up and finish making my way to the trees."_

I turn to look at the others while heading to the tree, yet still keeping an eye on the surrounding area.

Wells gets back to his feet, badly favoring one leg, but ready to fight. The crowd circles, relishing the chance to watch the Chancellor's son get the shit beat out of him and I thought of stepping in. I could see that Clarke wants to step in, but before she can, Finn drops from the trees above, riding a bending branch to the ground, touching down right between the two combatants. His presence has an instant effect. The crowd is star-struck, wowed by the acrobatic entrance...

" _What a show off, but still that was some damn nice moves and thankfully I don't have to step in now."_

I put my katana back into it's sheath. Then I made it to the trees and pulled off my backpacks and hung them on a branch. I cut and split an 8-inch Yew tree which provides six or seven bow staves. I left enough room on the end of each stave to cut off roughly 6 inches, in case the wood gets cracks. I left the bark on to reduce cracking as the wood dries. I opened one of my bags and found a tarp, laid it down, then placed the staves on it. I then went to work making my arrows out of the Maple tree.

Murphy: "Whoa. Sweet."

Finn: "Thanks. Hold this."

He hands the branch to Murphy. The moment the smaller boy has a hold, Finn lets go. The recoil sends Murphy flying. The crowd roars with delight and Murphy's friends break his fall. Yet, just like that, the tension is gone. Clarke is impressed, shooting Finn an appreciative glance, as Octavia steps between them...

Octavia: "Hey, Spacewalker... Rescue me next?"

Finn smiles, but says nothing as a group of friends from his home station surround to greet him warmly. Octavia turns to see her brother giving her a pointed look.

Once done with the arrows I placed them into the tarp and wrapped it up. I made my way to the dropship and pulled a panel from back and place them under the dropship so they can dry and nobody takes them. I put the panel quickly back into place and headed back into the trees to see what was going on with the others are doing.

Octavia: "What? He's cute."

Bellamy: "He's a criminal."

Octavia: "They're all criminals."

Bellamy takes her arm, guides her aside and lowers his voice, but I can still hear him from where I'm at.

Bellamy: "I came down here to protect you."

Octavia: "I don't need protecting! I've been locked up, one way or another, all my life. I am done following orders. I need to have fun, Bell. I need to do something crazy just because I can. And no one, including you, is gonna stop me."

Bellamy looks like he understands, but it seems like he has bigger problems than his sister's need for excitement.

Bellamy: "I can't stay with them, O."

Octavia: "Now what are you talking about?"

Bellamy: "I did something, okay? To get on the dropship. Something they'll kill me for when they come down. (before she can ask) I can't tell you what it is yet, but you have to trust me. You do still trust me, don't you?"

" _I wonder what he did…hmm the only thing I can think of is if he killed someone. I will have to keep my eye on him."_

She hesitantly nods towards her brother and he smiles slightly, then…

Bellamy: "Good. Then let's go. You can help me convince the guys from our station to come with us."

Thinking it's settled, he walks off. Octavia seems to think about listening to him, but she looks back to Finn instead.

Finn steps towards Clarke as she finishes examining Wells' ankle.

" _She must have past medical experience. I heard her last name was Griffin, she must be Dr. Griffin's daughter."_

Finn: "When do we leave?"

Wells was about to thank him, but doesn't. It takes Clarke a moment to realize he's volunteering for the trek to Mount Weather.

" _I guess I should follow them, I don't think we are alone and I doubt they can protect themselves."_

Clarke: "Right now."

She stands. Wells looks at her, his expression darkening.

Clarke: "We'll be back tomorrow with food. Once the others know the supplies are still there, they'll follow."

Wells: "How are two of you gonna carry enough food for a hundred?"

Without a word, Finn collars Jasper and another boy from the crowd.

Finn: "Four of us. Can we go now?"

That's when Octavia sashays toward them...

Octavia: "Sounds like a party. Make it five."

" _Technically it's six, but you guys won't know I'm here until I'm forced to show myself."_

Bellamy hurries behind her, catching her arm...

Bellamy: "What the hell do you think you are doing?!"

Octavia: "Going for a walk!"

She tears her arm away. Before Bellamy can figure out how to avoid a scene, Clarke makes one of her own, grabbing Finn's wristband, turning it to reveal what appear to be saw marks.

Clarke: "Were you trying to take this off?"

Finn: "Yeah. So?"

Clarke: "So this wristband transmits your vital signs to the Ark. Take it off and they'll think you're dead."

Finn: "Should I care?"

Clarke: "I don't know. You want the people you love to think you're dead?"

It stops Finn. Clearly, he doesn't.

Clarke: "You want them to follow you down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying."

From the look on Bellamy's face it seems he has been struck with an idea.

" _I don't necessarily know if I will like that idea he just got."_

Finn nods, understanding. Clarke drops his arm...

Clarke: "Okay. Then move out."

Finn walks off and his two recruits follow along with him. Octavia wants to, but she looks first to Bellamy. He whispers conspiratorially to himself, but both girls seem to have heard. One confused and the other knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Bellamy: "If they think we're dying, they won't follow us down."

Octavia doesn't understand, cares even less. He has no choice but to let her.

 _Do I stay and stop him from doing something stupid or should I go with the others and possibly save their lives."_

Bellamy: "Go. I've got work to do."

A kiss on his cheek and she hurries after the others.

" _I suppose I will go, I don't really care that The Ark will think they are dying, my brother will know that I am alive. I can't wait to take this bracelet thing off, it might help fix other things like our radio or something like that."_

Clarke: "Find a walking stick and look for water. If they think they need you, maybe they'll let you live."

With that, she walks off, too. Octavia slows to let her catch up, looking over threateningly. I follow slowly and silently above them, looking around to make sure I don't find anyone else up in the trees with me, but still listening down below to them.

Octavia: "Before you get any ideas...Finn's mine."

Clarke looks to be taken aback by her hostility, but recovers quickly with a reply of her own.

Clarke: "Before you get any ideas...I don't care."

" _Haha, she doesn't seem to bad, I hope for her sake she finds some kind of happiness. Octavia would be probably be awesome if she wasn't so stuck on boys."_

Bellamy looks away, turning his attention to the wristbands all around him, a sly smile telling us a plan is taking shape, as Wells watches him with deepening suspicion.

~~~ The Ark ~~~

Kane sits at the head of a huge table, Earth visible through a window behind him. The nameplate tells us he's trying the Chancellor's chair on for size, liking the way it feels when he hears A door open, quickly stands and turns to the window.

If the uniformed commander of the guard knows what Kane was doing, he doesn't let on. His devotion to Kane is clear...

Commander Of The Guard: "Excuse me, sir, you asked to be interrupted if there was news."

Kane doesn't turn. In his face, we see that he thinks this is the moment he becomes Chancellor. Then he hears:

Commander Of The Guard: "The Chancellor is still in surgery, but we've ID'd the shooter."

Takes Kane a moment to push back disappointment. By the time he turns, the Commander has summoned up an image on the huge touch screen monitor that doubles as the council table:

BELLAMY'S FACE ON A SANITATION CREW ID CARD.

Commander Of The Guard: "Bellamy Black is the only person on the Ark unaccounted for."

Kane: "Who is he?"

Commander Of The Guard: "He's no one. A janitor. We're still working up a profile, but his motive for going to Earth is clear."

He brings up the mug shots of the prisoners alongside Bellamy, selecting Octavia's.

Kane: "Sister. I remember them. Their mother kept her hidden for almost thirteen years. Nearly a record."

Something in the Commander's expression stops Kane...

Kane: "What is it, Commander Shumway?"

The Commander hesitates.

Kane: "Spit it out."

Commander Shumway: "We could start now. As Chancellor Pro Tempore, you can give the order to begin reducing the population."

It hangs there. Kane is clearly tempted. Then...

Kane: "Not yet. The Chancellor's Hail Mary mission to Earth is failing. Once it's clear the ground still isn't an option, the council will get in line. (looking back down to Bellamy's picture) In the meantime, I'd like to know who helped this janitor get on that dropship. Because he sure as hell didn't do it by himself."

The Commander says nothing, but clearly agrees.

Kane: "It seems we have a traitor in our midst, Commander... (looking to the mug shots) And the Hundred have an assassin in theirs."

 _ **~~~ Author's Note ~~~**_

So here is chapter 2, I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you Hasse360 and Warrior-Species for following! ^_^ Thank you Arianna Le Fay and Maggie729 for favoriting! Also thank you to everyone who viewed and I hope you all like it as much as I like to write it. I'm not sure when I'm going to have her introduced to tell rest of them, but I'm thinking it may be soon. I really like her being a badass from the background though.

~~~ Goodnight everyone ~~~


	3. Water

~~~ Recap ~~~

Kane: "What is it, Commander Shumway?"

The Commander hesitates.

Kane: "Spit it out."

Commander Shumway: "We could start now. As Chancellor Pro Tempore, you can give the order to begin reducing the population."

It hangs there. Kane is clearly tempted. Then...

Kane: "Not yet. The Chancellor's Hail Mary mission to Earth is failing. Once it's clear the ground still isn't an option, the council will get in line. (looking back down to Bellamy's picture) In the meantime, I'd like to know who helped this janitor get on that dropship. Because he sure as hell didn't do it by himself."

The Commander says nothing, but clearly agrees.

Kane: "It seems we have a traitor in our midst, Commander... (looking to the mug shots) And the Hundred have an assassin in theirs."

~~~ Earth ~~~

~~~ The Woods ~~~

~~~ Willow Trikova P.O.V. ~~~

Several hours into the trek. The group has fanned out amidst the trees. Sunlight dapples and wildflowers are everywhere. Clarke has assumed the lead and is setting a fast pace, appreciating none of it. Behind her, Octavia, Finn, and his two recruits all wish that she would slow down to let them enjoy the scenery. Jasper and Monty, on the surface, the furthest thing from delinquents. They are clearly very intelligent and, it must be said, incredibly uncool. The fact that they're studying Finn to remedy this will become clear. As we arrive, Finn stops to pick a flower and slip it into Octavia's hair. She'd jump him here and now if he'd let her. Jasper and Monty see this and exchange a glance.

" _Poison sumac…haha. I wonder if anyone else will notice. I should look around for plants I can use."_

Jasper: "That, my friend, is game."

I look around, wait for them to get slightly ahead of me, then jump down and scan all the different plants. While doing so I noticed some dandelions and feverfew at the base of a few trees. I picked some of each of them, ate a few dandelions and placed the rest of them in a pouch I found in one of the backpacks my brother gave me.

" _I miss you brother so very much. I hope you make it down here, you would absolutely love it."_

Monty: "That, my friend, is poison sumac."

Octavia: (swatting away the flower) "Jesus, Finn! Thank you."

Monty: "Don't worry. The flowers aren't poisonous. They're medicinal. Calming actually.

" _I should mark this place on my map so I can come here later after I find my place even though Clarke has left a noticeable trail by marking the tree."_

He pops one in his mouth. Finn and Octavia are curious.

Jasper: "His family grows all the pharmaceuticals."

" _That makes sense that he would know that if his parents were the growers."_

Clarke: (abruptly turning around) "Hey! Try to keep up."

I jump behind a bush quickly and dart up into the trees silently without any of them noticing me.

Finn: "Come on, Clarke, look around you. How do you block all this out?"

Clarke scratches an X into another tree to mark their path.

Clarke: "It's simple. I wonder: why haven't we seen any animals? Hm. Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us...Sure is pretty, though."

" _We would already be dead then Clarke. We have been down here for a little bit now and I think we would notice some changes by now."_

With that, she strides onward. The others follow, their buzz sufficiently killed.

Octavia: "Someone should slip her some poison sumac."

I laugh inside my head and keep following them. I am still able to keep an eye out for anyone else that isn't from our group and able to forage for things that would be useful at the pace that we are going.

Jasper laughs a bit too loudly. Monty smacks him.

Finn: "I got to know what you two did to get busted.

Monty: "Sumac's not the only herb in the garden, if you know what I mean."

Jasper: (meaning Monty) "Someone forgot to replace what we took."

Monty: "And that someone's apologized like a thousand times."

I laugh on the inside again.

" _Maybe these guys won't be so bad to hang around with. They make me laugh and that is something I'm not used to."_

Jasper: "How 'bout you Octavia? What'd they get you for?"

" _Oh no, they shouldn't have asked that. I mean she has a brother, it's quite obvious. Or maybe it's just obvious to me since it's the same reason I got locked up."_

For a moment it looks like she isn't going to respond, but then.

Octavia: "Being born."

With that, she speeds up to catch Clarke.

Monty: "That is so not game."

Before Jasper can respond, they notice that Clarke has stopped and is holding out a hand for them to do the same. Octavia sees what Clarke sees and gestures the boys excitedly closer. They creep up slowly. Clarke points at a grazing deer. Partially obscured by brush, but it's the first sign of life other than insects and plants they've seen and it has a profound effect on them all.

I stop as well and look for other deer, just hoping to find more.

" _I wish I had my bow, so I could follow it back to others and get some meat. I bet it's delicious, I've never had meat before. Plus the fur would be nice for warmth when winter comes."_

Finn: "You were saying?"

Monty: "Can we eat it?"

They all look at him in disgust.

Monty: "Kidding."

" _I'm not kidding though, but they don't know that. Maybe I should show myself to them, I might be able to help them more. Then again, I won't ever be able to keep to myself and I like to be by myself."_

Finn wants a better view, gestures for silence, pads closer. One step and the animal looks up, revealing, to their horror, that it has two heads. One is hideously deformed. A collective gasp and the mutant deer bolts.

" _Hmm that might be a deal breaker on eating it. If I eat something that has radiation then I might just get mutated to. So I guess I'm going to stick to plants for now."_

~~~ Earth ~~~

~~~ Dropship ~~~

Leaning on a walking stick, Wells limps into camp, a pile of kindling under one arm. The mood here has dimmed a bit. People are hungry, thirsty. Still they play, flirt, fight.

Two kids, covered in mud, approach Wells.

Random Kid: "We finished burying the bodies. You find any water yet?"

Wells drops the sticks in a growing pile, then...

Wells: "Not yet. I'm going out again if you wanna join."

They nod. Wells is about to lead them back out when he sees a message scratched into the side of the dropship. His helpers see it, too:

FIRST SON/FIRST TO DYE

It's unsettling to say the least, but Wells swallows it and looks around to see who did it. Doesn't take long. The boy who already assaulted him watches from nearby with another dangerous-looking lad, named John Murphy.

Wells limps toward them, knows not to show fear...

Wells: "You spelled die wrong."

John Murphy: "You sure you wanna do this? I don't see Finn or your daddy in any of these trees."

Wells: "Actually, I'm sure I don't wanna do this. What I wanna do is find water and make a fire because I'm thirsty and it's gonna be dark soon...We could use some help."

The Johns feel the eyes of the group. John Murphy draws a shiv and steps to Wells with unmistakable menace.

Wells stands his ground, but is clearly afraid. This is not a situation he's faced before. Not just schoolyard bullies.

John Murphy: (a menacing whisper) "My dad begged for mercy in the airlock when your dad floated him."

Wells goes pale.

Bellamy: "What's the problem here?"

They see him approaching. The uniform prompts an instinctive backing down. The Johns melt into the crowd. Wells is still suspicious of Bellamy, but appreciative nonetheless...

Wells: "Thanks."

He holds out a hand, but Bellamy doesn't take it.

Bellamy: "I meant what's your problem?"

The Johns drift back. Wells summons courage.

Wells: "My problem's the same as yours. (looking to the group) The same as all of ours. The more of us who look for water, the more likely we are to find it."

He starts to walk off, but Bellamy snatches his walking stick. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he keeps going. The effort draws a few more people to his side. Bellamy watches Wells go as the Johns return.

John Murphy: "You're not really a member of the Guard, are you?"

Bellamy: "No. But the real Guard will be here soon, unless we stop it."

It gets their attention.

Bellamy: "You don't actually believe they're gonna forgive your crimes?"

They did believe it.

Bellamy: "Even if they do. Then what? Guys like you, you gonna be model citizens now? Get jobs? If you're lucky, maybe pick up their trash."

John #2: "You got a point?"

Bellamy: "No, I got a question. They locked you up. Dumped you down here like lab rats to die. So why are you helping them?"

John Murphy: "The hell we are."

Bellamy: "You're wearing those bracelets, aren't you? Right now, those things are telling them whether or not it's safe to follow us down."

John #2: "You said we could stop it. How?"

Bellamy pauses, realizes he's not recruiting rocket scientists here, and manages a smile.

Bellamy: "Take 'em off. The Ark will think you're dead. That it's not safe to follow. You follow?"

It takes a moment, but they nod.

John Murphy: "And if we do? What's in it for us?"

Bellamy: "Someone's got to help me run things."

Two Johns. Two smiles.

~~~ The Ark ~~~

~~~ Operation Room ~~~

Abby has been operating on the Chancellor for hours.

Jackson, her chief apprentice, assists. Two nurses.

Medical supplies, we are about to realize, like everything on the Ark, are severely rationed.

Moments after we arrive, the patient starts to wake up mid-surgery. He jerks from the pain of it. Vital signs dive.

Abby: "Increase anesthesia."

The nurse whose job it is hesitates. Abby looks over...

Abby: "Your Chancellor is going into shock. Now do it!"

Jackson: "Abby, we are way over the line. According to the law, we have to st-"

Abby: "I'll do it myself. Let them come after me."

Jackson turns into her path, stopping her, whispering.

Jackson: "...Boss, come on. Are you really going to risk your life to save the man who ordered your husband's execution?"

Without hesitating, she turns the knob, releasing the gas. The Chancellor calms instantly and his vitals are stabilized.

~~~ The Ark ~~~

~~~ Corridor ~~~

Just out of surgery, Abby strides heatedly down a long connector tube. Cece rushes to catch up.

Cece: "Ab, slow down. How is he?"

Abby: "Ask me again if he makes it through the night."

Before Cece can respond, a maintenance worker on a ladder suddenly drops down into their path. It's Raven, Finn's best friend as it turns out, and it's clear at once that Cece, not work, is the real reason she's here.

Raven: "Where the hell is Finn?"

Cece checks her ID badge, then...

Cece: "Let's see your work order, Raven."

Clearly, she doesn't have one. Cece starts for a nearby intercom to report it, but Abby stops her.

Abby: "It's okay."

The kindness gets Raven's attention. She looks at Abby for the first time, recognizing her at once.

Raven: "Your kid's locked up, with my friend Finn too."

Abby's taken aback. Raven plows right through...

Raven: "My best friend, Finn Collins, missed message day today for the first time in two years. Same day folks saw a ship leave. One with seating for a hundred. I got friends who worked on it. A hundred. Same as the number of cells in the Sky Box. You see where I'm going with this?"

Cece: "Come on, Abby. We have to go now."

But before she can lead Abby past, Raven grabs Abby's arm.

Raven: "...Wait."

Her facade cracks. Her desperation shows. She hates that.

Raven: "I may not be important, but my best friends means as much to me as your daughter does to you. Please...tell me where my best friend is, he's all I have left."

Abby holds her stare, trying to decide what to do.

~~~ The Ark ~~~

~~~ Maintaining Station ~~~

Abby leads Raven into the monitoring station. Less chaotic than before. They have entered watch and wait mode. It's clear from the shock in Raven's face that Abby brought her up to speed on the walk over. The moment they enter, Abby's eyes go to the big board, where two more dark squares can now be seen. Two more dead kids. She tries to hide concern from Raven, but it's clear.

Abby: "Nothing leaves this room. Excuse me for one –"

Raven: "You said two dead. I count four."

Abby: "Who else did we lose?"

An apprentice punches buttons, isolating the wristband feeds and accompanying mug shots of the two Johns.

Apprentice: "Murphy and Mbege. Both named John."

Raven is relieved. She turns to the board, wanders closer, searching for Finn's face as Abby joins her team.

Apprentice: "Neither was injured during landing."

Jackson: "I concur. Something else killed these two. One second they were fine, the next, bang."

Abby: "It wasn't radiation."

Jackson: "How can you be sure?"

Abby: "Because one-second-fine, the-next-bang is not how exposure to radiation presents. You know that."

Jackson: "It could if there was enough of it."

Abby: "If there was enough of it, they would all be dead!"

It echoes. She wishes she could take it back. Raven looks over, meeting her stare from across the room. No one else here knows how it feels having someone down there. Raven turns back to the board and we see that she's found Finn, his face now right in front of her. Guy can't even take a bad mug shot. In it, he is without fear. Something primal stirs within her. This is not the look of a woman who will stop at knowing the truth about her best friend. It's the look of a someone who will stop at nothing to save him. They stay for a few more moments then leave.

Minutes after they leave another walks in. A tall man with a lean muscular build, slightly tan skin, black hair, and some of the brightest blue eyes. Clad in a guards uniform he walks to the screen showing the delinquents and looks for one in particular. He finds it:

Willow Trikova.

" _Little sister you seem to be doing well. I hope you find friends amongst them instead of staying to yourself, but remember to just stay alive until I make it down there. I'm sure if any problems occur the guard will be the first down and I will be with them."_

~~~ Earth ~~~

~~~ Woods ~~~

Finn is now at the back of the pack now. Daylight is fading. Octavia has the lead, the sway of her body keeping Jasper and Monty's minds off hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. Finn, the one person she wants to notice, doesn't.

Finn: "You know what I'd like to know? Why send us down today, after ninety-seven years? What changed?"

Octavia: "Who cares? I'm just glad they did. I woke up rotting in a cell. Now I am spinning in a forest."

She spins around a tree. Jasper beams, but her eyes are on Finn, who still doesn't notice and from what it seems it's starting to piss her off.

Monty: "Maybe they found something on a satellite. You know, like an old weather satellite or –"

Clarke: "It wasn't a satellite."

The way she said it gets everyone's attention including mine. She keeps her secret for another moment, then.

Clarke: "The Ark is dying."

Although it lands hard, no one grasps the magnitude yet except me. Because Clarke keeps walking, they all do and I follow them from above.

Clarke: "At the current population level there's roughly three months left of life support, maybe four now that we are gone."

Finn: "That's the secret they locked you up to keep? Why they kept you in solitary? Floated your old man?"

Emotion threatens, but she keeps it down and nods.

Clarke: "My father was the engineer who discovered the flaw. He thought that the people deserved to know. The council disagreed, my mother disagreed. They were worried it would cause a panic. My dad and I decided to go public anyway."

Jasper: "They found out before you could?"

Another nod and it looks like she is back in control of her emotions.

" _I guess not everyone is able to put on an emotionless face. It may just be a few like me, who do not want others to pity or worry for us. Although I just hate showing emotion of any kind. I just lock it up, it allows me to think more logically. Then I let it out when I need to or I have the time to do so."_

Clarke: "Anyway, that's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die, at least they bought themselves more time."

Monty: (as it hits him) "They're gonna kill more people, aren't they? If Earth still isn't safe, they have to."

Clarke nods soberly. Finn, Jasper, and Monty are gutted by what this means for their loved ones. Octavia doesn't care.

Octavia: "Good. After what they did to me, I say let them all die for all I care."

Jasper: "You don't mean that."

Octavia doesn't respond, her eyes suddenly on something in front of them. The others don't notice yet and neither do I.

Finn: "We have to warn them."

Clarke looks over and it seems she is deeply affected by that statement.

Clarke: "That's what my father said."

I decided to check out what Octavia saw. I jump forward onto another tree and notice a river. I pull out my map and look at it. There wasn't a river on the map, but I decided to mark it anyways.

" _I should go a little to the side, upstream from here. I hate to leave them unprotected, but I need water and I need to see if this water is good to drink."_

She thinks hard and because of that, she runs smack into Jasper, who has stopped dead to watch Octavia suddenly peels off some of her clothes, leaving her in her t-shirt and underwear.

" _Typical boys."_

Jasper: "Damn, I love Earth."

I jump out of earshot and go a little further. I pulled it out of the mesh pocket on the side to see it was clipped in as well. I unclip it and jump down to the water. I look around, the water isn't to deep and I don't see anyone else. I bend down to the water and place my bottle on the ground beside me. Cupping my hands I put them in the water. It's cold and when I pull my hands up out of the water, I examine it for anything and don't find anything.

" _I guess the only way now to see if it's good to drink."_

I pour the liquid down my throat and it's fresh. Unscrewing the lid of my bottle I place it in the water and fill it. I take another drink from the bottle then fill it again. Placing it in the mesh pocket and clipping it in, I jump back into the trees.

" _There now I have water. I guess I should head back to –"_

I hear Jasper yell.

Jasper: "…Octavia, get out of the water! Now!"

I jump through the trees as fast as I can and eventually making it to them.

~~~ While Willow is away ~~~

Octavia knows they're watching. Loves that attention is back on her where it belongs. The others are behind her. Finn's expression is more controlled than the other two boys, but only just.

Clarke: "Octavia, what the hell do you think are you –"

That's when Octavia, down to just her underwear, takes a step forward and suddenly plunges underneath the water. A moment of confusion for the others ends with a splash! Fair to say it's the most amazing sound they've ever heard. Instantly, they rush forward, stopping on the rim of A narrow gorge cut through the woods by A river fifteen feet below. They get there in time to see Octavia rise up, enraptured as she breaks the surface. When you've survived on drops of water a day your entire life, swimming is transcendent.

Monty: "Octavia, can you swim?!"

Octavia: "No, but I can stand."

With that, she rises like a sea goddess from the chest-high water. In seconds, the boys are stripping down to join her. Only Clarke hesitates.

Finn: "Come on Princess, take your damn clothes off."

She ignores him, moving to the edge, pulling out the map.

Clarke: "There's no river on the map. We're going the wrong way."

Finn steps up behind her, pointing across the river...

Finn: "No, we're not."

We see it as Clarke does: A man-made structure, the wreckage of one anyway, above the trees on the horizon. Still too far away to be sure, but possibly an old guard tower.

Clarke: "…Mount Weather."

She spins excitedly, her smile melting at the sight of Finn's rather amazing physique. She peels off her shirt, too. At that moment, Jasper, about to jump, suddenly freezes, gripped by fear.

Jasper: "…Octavia, get out of the water! Now!"

All eyes shoot to the river where a long dark shadow is rocketing toward Octavia. We won't get a good look here. Could be a croc. Or a giant snake. Of course, it's possible that a hundred years marinating in radiation has created something else entirely. Whatever it is, it's fast, it's aggressive, and it's hungry. Before Octavia can react, the creature strikes, violently taking her under and dragging her away.

 **~~~ Author's Note ~~~**

Thank you for following:

FandomQueenLaura

Hasse360

Lettuce.

Maynnar Silvertin

Warrior-Species

Xxdarkvampireangelxx

Thank you for clicking favorite:

Arianna Le Fay

Lettuce.

Maggie729

Maynnar Silvertin

Also thank you to everyone else who viewed and to the one who reviewed. It made me happy to know you liked it. It also brightened my day seeing my story get a review. Sorry this chapter took awhile, I was also doing my first edit for chapter 4 and 5. So, that means chapter 4 should be ready for you all to read in the next few days.

~~~ Have a wonderful day ~~~

~~~ It's 9:50 a.m. where I am ~~~


	4. Water Beast

~~~ Recap ~~~

Clarke: "There's no river on the map. We're going the wrong way."

Finn steps up behind her, pointing across the river to something.

Finn: "No, we're not."

Clarke sees a man-made structure, the wreckage of one anyway, above the trees on the horizon. Still too far away to be sure, but possibly an old guard tower.

Clarke: "…Mount Weather."

She spins excitedly, her smile melting at the sight of Finn's rather amazing physique. She peels off her shirt, too. At that moment, Jasper, about to jump, suddenly freezes, gripped by fear.

Jasper: "…Octavia, get out of the water! Now!"

All eyes shoot to the river where a long dark shadow is rocketing toward Octavia. We cannot see what it is. Could be a croc. Or a giant snake. Of course, it's possible that a hundred years marinating in radiation has created something else entirely. Whatever it is, it's fast, it's aggressive, and it's hungry. Before Octavia can react, the creature strikes, violently taking her under and dragging her away.

~~~ The River ~~~

~~~ Dusk ~~~

~~~ Willow Trikova P.O.V ~~~

When I get to the group I look into the water where they are looking. Some unseen beast drags Octavia away. Fighting wildly, she breaks the surface and I hear her screaming, before being sucked back down.

Clarke, Finn, Monty, and Jasper race along the river's edge, 15 feet above, desperate to keep her in sight.

Monty: "What the hell is that? We have to help her. What are you gonna do?!"

Before anyone can venture a guess, Finn makes a decision. He's going in after her. Clarke grabs his arm.

" _I need to do something. She is going to die. What can I do."_

I see a dead tree next to the edge of the river. I jump to it, ready to push it down to distract whatever it is that's in the water.

Clarke: "Finn, no! What are you gonna do?!"

Finn: "Try not to get eaten."

With that, he jumps. The moment he splashes down, the shadow releases Octavia and whips around to check out the threat.

I get to the tree and wait to see if what they did distracted it enough to save her.

Jasper: "Octavia, now! Get to the edge!"

Clarke: "Finn, it's coming! Get out!"

Finn hears this and rushes back through the water, pulling himself up onto a lower bank just in time.

The shadow darts instantly back to its meal, carrying Octavia away even faster now. In seconds, she'll be gone.

I take off my backpacks and place them on a branch close to the ground, but up enough so they are out of sight. I pull myself up on a strong branch that is next to the dead tree. I push the tree over and over until I hear the roots being pulled up and out of the ground. I drop to the ground and land near the base of the tree. I push wish all my weight and swish the large tree back and forth in the water. It distracts it, but doesn't let go of Octavia.

The group hears Willow and gets frightened, thinking that there is something else coming after them. Even though she is terrified Clarke has an idea. She drops down behind a boulder poised at the edge of the cliff and starts to push. The boys don't understand, but drop down to help anyway. They would get Octavia back then deal with whatever else comes at them.

Clarke: "It thought Finn was a threat! It'll let her go again!"

" _I may need to show myself now. They are probably scared of the noise I made."_

The boulder rolls. Clarke and Monty watch it go. Not Jasper. He's already moving again, racing along the edge. The boulder splashes down. Sure enough, as Clarke predicted, the shadow whips around again. As it does, Jasper launches himself, plunging in right beside Octavia, pulling her back.

I run out to them to see the I see a few baseball size rocks and grab them. Here comes the still-unseen beast. It'll be close. I throw the rocks at the beast hitting it a few times.

Jasper shoves Octavia onto the lower bank, scrambling out beside her just as the malevolent shadow rockets past for another attack. It gets hit again by my rock and everyone sees me although they ignore me for now.

Octavia collapses into Jasper's very thin arms. Although the fact that he's holding a nearly naked girl does register, we see it more so on the face of his friend up above.

Monty: "Note to self: next time, save the girl."

Clarke looks back to Finn, who is equally impressed.

Finn: "One good thing about outer space...no giant, mutant river snakes."

Everyone laughs. Even Octavia, though just barely. Then she sees the teeth marks running red on her thigh and goes still. Clarke sees it, too, looks to Monty.

Clarke: "Help Jasper get her up here."

Her eyes go across the river. The wreckage of the tower is now a silhouette amid the trees against the setting sun. It kills her to stop with the goal in sight, but the light is nearly gone, one of her people is wounded, a new person is here, and a man-eating snake is blocking their path. She sighs heavily, then.

Clarke: "We'll cross at first light, but first, who are you? Were you the one making that noise?"

She points at me. Everyone looks at me.

"I am Willow Trikova and I have been following this group since you left the dropship. I feared we were not alone here and wanted to help incase you got into trouble."

They gasped hen they heard my name.

" _Figures as much, they probably know who I am. It's not to often when there is a second child born on the Ark."_

Willow: "Is Octavia injured?"

Clarke: "Yeah she is, but I'm fixing her up as best as I can with what I can find."

Willow: "I have a first aid kit in one of my backpacks that you can use."

I went and grabbed my backpacks and when I came back they were whispering amongst themselves, but stopped when they saw me. I stopped a few from them and pulled the first aid out.

Willow: (to Clarke) "Are you as good as your mother?"

Clarke: "I'm almost as good as my mom, but this is basic."

Willow: "Then you should let me do it. I'm better then her and I'd like it to not hurt when she walks."

I walk over and sit next to Octavia and pull out everything I need and expertly bandage her.

Clarke: "How do you know you're better than my mom, she is the best doctor and how do you know what you're doing?"

Willow: "Well my mother used to be a nurse and she always brought her books home and I read them all the time."

I stood up, wiped my hands, and put everything up. I grabbed my water bottle and took a drink and continued talking.

Willow: "One time my mother let it slip that she knew someone with amazing skills, even better than herself, to your mother. Anyways your mom wanted to meet me and see for herself. I introduced myself to her then started to do the basic vital checks for a few people, but then someone came in need of medical attention. Your mom was busy with someone else that came in earlier that day and didn't see that a new person needed medical attention right then. It wasn't life threatening, but it would be bad if it got infected. It was a cadet that got stabbed from some delinquent or something, I didn't really pay attention to him to much other than his wound. It was a basic procedure and I knew what to do, so I did it. After I was done I cleaned up and saw your mom talking with my mother about me. I then got a job as a nurse under your mom until I got locked up."

Everyone was looking at me, I brushed it off, raised my water bottle up waved it slightly and asked.

Willow: "Would anyone like a drink? I don't mind sharing."

They all got a drink and I told them I'd head upstream and get some more. Octavia asked to come with me and when we were out of hearing range from the others she hesitantly asks.

Octavia: "So how did you get the weapons and backpacks full of supplies?"

Willow: "My brother acquired them for me."

Octavia: "You have a brother? I thought I was the only one. Is he down here with us?"

We got to the water and I filled my water bottle up again.

Willow: "Yes I do and no he isn't, he's still up on The Ark."

We walk back in silence. When we get back everyone goes to sleep but me. I grab my backpacks, put my water bottle up and climb into a tree and decide to be the lookout incase there is anything else that tries to attack in the night.

~~~ Flashback ~~~

Mother is braiding my hair before we leave and we talk.

Willow: "Mother do I have to do this? What if we get found out?"

Arianna: "My darling daughter, you are smart, we will not be found out."

She finishes my hair and we put on our shoes.

Willow: "We look so much alike, what do we say when she notices that."

Arianna: "I do not know, but we will figure that out when the time comes for it. Now come, we mustn't be late."

We leave our house and walk to the medical bay in silence.

We get to the medical bay and I see Dr. Griffin cleaning a scrap on a child's knee. When she gets done I introduce myself.

Willow: "Hello Dr. Griffin, it's nice to meet you. I am Willow Spears."

Abby: "Hello Miss. Spears, it's nice to meet you as well. Mrs. Trikova has told me that you are very knowledgeable in the medical practice. Can you start taking everyone's vitals for me?"

Willow: "Yes ma'am."

Dr. Griffin goes to a patient that she needed to check up on again. I start vitals on the first person in line and write them down on a blank little notepad I brought with me. While finishing the fifth persons vitals and about to start on the sixth, a cadet walks in the door. He is quite handsome with dark brown curly locks, deep brown eyes, he was tall and lean but still noticeably muscular with tan skin. I blush slightly pink and look up at him trough my eyelashes.

Cadet: "Miss, do you work here?"

I look over at Dr. Griffin and see she is still busy.

" _This guy is really handsome and she's busy and needs help. I shall help him."_

Willow: "Yes I do, what is your name, and what do you need help with? Also please sit here."

I point to a chair and he sits down.

Cadet: "My name is Bellamy Blake and I was helping a guard for some of my training and I got stabbed in the shoulder."

After checking his vitals I look to see the wound. I blush a dark red and ask.

Willow: "Mr. Blake can you please take off your jacket and shirt so I can check and clean your wound."

Bellamy: "Yes, but please call me Bellamy Miss…"

He takes his jacket and shirt off and by now my face is a dark red.

Willow: "Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Willow Spears."

I step closer to him and place my hands on his chest and shoulder next to the wound. I lean forward to inspect it and caught a whiff of his scent. I lean back and tell him while noticing freckles doting over his nose and cheeks.

Willow: "Well you're lucky, I don't see anything in it, so I don't have to dig anything out. I'm going to clean it now."

I clean his wound and bandage him up. He puts on his shirt and holds his jacket.

Bellamy: "Thank you Willow, I appreciate it very much."

He leaves and I look over to Dr. Griffin and my mother talking.

~~~ Flashback Ends ~~~

" _He sure does seem different now then he used to be. I remember always wanting to meet him again, but I never saw him till I saw him on the dropship."_

~~~ The Dropship ~~~

~~~ Lower Level ~~~

It's dark. The only light comes from a fire outside.

We find Wells sitting at a console, trying in vain to coax a signal out of a dead communication system, clearly wallowing in self-pity, when music wafts in through the open door.

It starts as a lament, girl's voice, haunting and beautiful. Fits Wells' mood perfectly, then another voice takes it up. Spoken word poetry. Very much like rap today and cheers go up.

Wells limps from the ship into the full light of a bonfire. The scene playing out around it is almost tribal, fire and music temporarily pushing hunger and thirst out of mind. It draws Wells in, too, but just as he's about to give in to the primal forces, he sees what's taking place at the center:

Bellamy supervises as the two Johns, wristbands already gone, help a rough-looking girl take off hers. For the record, the process is painful: A rod is jammed in, then violently pried up, cracking the band, which is then ripped off. Let's just say it leaves a mark.

The band gets tossed into the fire beside ten others and then.

Bellamy: "Who's next?!"

Wells: "What the hell are you doing?!"

Bellamy turns. The two Johns converge, but Bellamy holds out a hand, stopping them as a hush falls over the crowd.

Bellamy: "Liberating ourselves, what's it look like?"

Wells: "It looks like you're trying to get us all killed. (then; to the group) Our communication system is fried. These wristbands are all we've got. Take them off and the Ark will think we're dying. That it's not safe for them to follow."

Bellamy: "That's the point, Chancellor. We can take care of ourselves. (then; to the crowd) Can't we?"

It draws cheers and Bellamy clearly gets off on the feeling of power.

Wells: "You think this is a game?!"

It quiets again. Wells looks to the crowd, jabbing a finger skyward to indicate the Ark...

Wells: "Those aren't just our parents and our friends. They're our farmers. Our doctors. Our engineers. I don't care what he tells you, we won't survive here on our own. (looking back to Bellamy) Besides, if it really is safe, how could you not want the rest of our people to come down?"

Bellamy: "My people already are down. (pointing at the sky) Those people locked my people up. Those people killed my mother for the crime of having a second child. Your father did that."

Wells: "My father didn't write the laws."

Bellamy: "No, he enforced them. But not anymore. Not here. Here, there are no laws. Here, we do whatever-the-hell we want, whenever-the-hell we want."

The crowd is poised to erupt. Bellamy feels it and absolutely loves it.

Bellamy: "You don't have to like it, Wells. You can even try to stop it, change it, kill me. You know why? Whatever-the-hell we want."

John Murphy suddenly pumps his fist in the air...

John Murphy: "Whatever-the-hell we want!"

John #2 picks up the chant. Then two more. In seconds, "WHATEVER-THE-HELL WE WANT" is booming through the trees.

The Group: "Whatever-the-hell we want! Whatever-the-hell we want!"

The intensity of it disturbs Wells. Even some of those who had been helping him earlier are getting swept up in it. He wants to stop them, but knows that he's powerless to.

Then something happens that stops it for him: it rains. Gently, at first, but hard enough to freeze everyone. All eyes go to the sky. All faces fill with awe. Then the sky opens and it starts to pour, igniting a rapturous frenzy on the forest floor. Arms flung wide. Mouths open. Drinking. Bathing. At the center of it all stand Wells and Bellamy. Eyes meet. Bellamy shrugs as if to say "looks like we've got water."

Wells: "We need to collect this!"

Bellamy: "Whatever-the-hell you want."

Wells rushes away, no longer feeling pain, gathering a small, but not insignificant group to help him. As Bellamy watches him go, the thinking behind his eyes is clear: Wells is gonna be a problem.

~~~ The Ark ~~~

~~~ Monitoring Station ~~~

Abby and her team are standing before the big board, reacting to the flat lining of another ten of their children.

Another ten black tiles on the board. Although darkness is threatening, we sense that Abby, at least, is still pushing against the worst case scenario...

Abby: "Ten more. One after the next."

Jackson notices something else: Vital signs in the majority of wristband feeds moving in the same direction. Heart rates rising. Body temps falling. Plasma osmolarity ticking up.

Jackson: "Abby, look at plasma osmolarity. It's going up across the board."

Abby: "...They found water."

It's the first hopeful sign they've had since the landing and all of them gather to take it in. Unfortunately, before hope can take root, the door bursts open and a guard unit, led by Shumway, storms the room.

Commander Shumway: "Councilor Abigail Griffin, you are under arrest for violating supply chain order number twenty-four."

The guards surround, securing Abby's hands behind her back as Kane strides in behind them.

Kane: "I'm sorry this has to be public, but the policy on these matters is clear. No special treatment."

Abby holds his stare. Even now, she won't give him an inch.

Kane: "How much blood did you use, Abby?"

Jackson: "Don't answer that."

Abby: "I used whatever it took."

Jackson's face falls. She's admitting it.

Abby: "Breaking the law to keep you from becoming Chancellor was the easiest decision I ever made."

Kane: "In that case... given your confession, in my role as Chancellor Pro Tempore, I have no choice but to find you guilty."

Abby: "We always have a choice, Kane. You chose to press charges against my husband, your friend, even though you knew he'd get floated for it. You chose to include my daughter in those charges. And now you're choosing this. Hiding behind the law absolves you of nothing."

Kane: "Be that as it may, in accordance with Penal Code One, because all crimes committed by those above the age of majority are capital crimes, I hereby sentence you to death."

Abby's team is terrified. Cracks show in her calm facade.

Kane: "Execution is set for the morning. (then; back to Abby) I choose, at every turn and at any cost, to make sure that the human race stays alive."

Abby: "There's the difference between us, Kane. I choose to make sure that we deserve to stay alive."

Kane holds her stare for another moment, before nodding to Commander Shumway.

Commander Shumway: "Put her in her daughter's cell."

The guards lead Abby away. Jackson falls in stride.

Abby: "Watch after the kids. Connect the dots. You can do this."

With that, she's gone. Jackson looks sharply back to Kane.

Jackson: "This is madness."

Kane: "This is the law, Dr. Jackson."

Jackson: "Then pardon her. It's in your power to do that...under the law."

Kane holds Jackson's pleading stare. It may be in his power, but it's not in his heart.

Kane: "Judging from the number of black squares on the board behind you, I think it's now safe to say that a return to Earth is still not an option. I'll need your suggested parameters for population reduction on my desk as soon as possible."

Jackson pales. Kane strides out. Door slams and no one moves.

~~~ Clarke's Skybox Cell ~~~

Abby is led into her daughter's old cell. The drawings still on the walls strike her at once, but she shows nothing. Handcuffs are removed. Guards leave and the door slams shut. Only now, alone, does she let the full weight of everything show in her face. Tears stream from her eyes.

~~~ Earth ~~~

~~~ The Woods ~~~

~~~ Willow Trikova P.O.V ~~~

It is nightfall now. Clarke is asleep on the ground near the others when her eyes suddenly snap open.

I watch as she slowly sits up, she looks around and what she sees is incredible, the trees and flowers and ground are streaked with iridescent light. Veins of luminescence. Multiple colors. The effect is surreal and spectacular. A forest that glows in the dark and one that I've been watching come to life as they slept. With her now up, I decided to get a little bit of shut eye.

~~~ 3rd Person P.O.V. ~~~

Appropriately avid, Clarke stands and moves amidst the trees. The sound of the running river adds to the splendor. Finally, my guard is down and she is now the wide-eyed, inquisitive, passionate girl beneath the emotional armor. For the first time, she lets herself feel the wonder of being on Earth. Only it's unlike the Earth she spent so much time dreaming about. Indeed, it's practically another planet. Her eyes wander to the stars, her mind to the Ark (or heaven) and her mother (or father), when she hears a low voice:

Finn: "Pretty cool, huh?"

Startled, she whirls, reverie replaced by embarrassment as she sees him returning through the psychedelic trees. Takes her a moment to react to the fact that he's carrying a cone fastened out of large leaves and filled with water.

Clarke: "You went to the river?"

Finn: "Figured it was worth losing a finger or two, plus I went where Willow went and it's much shallower there. Here."

He moves the cone to her lips. She takes a tentative sip.

Finn: "You call that a sip?"

She smiles. Old habits. She drinks again, deeply this time, letting it run down her face and neck. When she's done, she has to look away, vibrating from all of it, forcing herself to refocus on the glowing trees.

Finn: "You think it means we're all gonna grow two heads?"

Clarke laughs slightly.

Finn: "What do you know? She can laugh."

She gives him a look, then picks a neon leaf. Incredibly, it dims as if being unplugged.

Clarke: "Oh, now that's cool."

There's that bright-eyed girl again. Finn clearly likes this side of her.

Clarke: "I'll have to run some tests, but, right now, my operating theory is that bioluminescence is an adaptation. Sort of a twist on photosynthesis. That's –"

Finn: "Plants using sunlight to turn bad air into good air."

She's impressed and he just shrugs.

Finn: "Woke up that day in science class. Come here. You have to see this."

With that, he strides back through the trees. She follows, trying to shake her hormonal response to this guy. He stops in a particularly surreal spot, squatting to point out something on the ground. Strange tracks in the dirt. Hard to tell, but they could be simian. A widely separated big toe is clear in some of them. She kneels, curious. He points.

Finn: "That's a toe. Plus, near as I can tell, whatever it is, it's walking on two feet. My guess...monkeys."

Clarke laughs at him and he gives her a look.

Clarke: "Sorry. It's just...according to everything I've read, there were no bipedal animals anywhere near here, certainly not monkeys."

Finn: "Really? You read anything about glow-in-the-dark forests or man-eating snakes?"

She meets his stare, sees his point: anything is possible. We sense that a kiss is imminent, or at least if he tried, that she'd let him. He doesn't try. Instead, he reaches back down, fitting his hand into one of the tracks. He does this to prove his point, but all Clarke sees are the fresh hack marks on his wristband.

Clarke: "Were you trying to take that off again?"

Finn: "What? No...I was thinking about the Ark. There may be a way to turn one of these things into a two-way communication device."

She looks at him, once again reminded of her father.

Finn: "Course, I'll have to run some tests, but –"

She smacks him playfully, laughing again beneath the magical trees. New world. New possibilities.

~~~ The Ark ~~~

~~~ Part Supply Warehouse ~~~

~~~ Night ~~~

Raven follows the hard-as-nails junk man through a shadow-filled maze of satellite and space station parts.

Junk Man: "They set a time for Finn's review?"

Raven nods slightly. Hates lying, but she'll do it.

Junk Man: "Don't worry. If I got through it, he will. No way they'll float someone with skills like his. Only person better with a wrench than him is his best friend.

Raven: "I don't remember you being such a talker, Red."

Red smiles, comes to a stop in front of something covered by a tarp, pulls it off to reveal a dilapidated escape pod. One look and we understand: Raven is going after her best friend.

Junk Man: "Russian. They found it when they reeled in Mir in '16."

Raven: "Does it have a working radio?"

Junk Man: "Yeah. Why do you need a radio?"

~~~ Earth ~~~

~~~ The Dropship ~~~

The group is asleep on the ground all around the smoldering campfire. The trees here do not glow. Wells sleeps alone in the darkened cabin. Suddenly, there's a hand over his mouth.

It's Bellamy. Wells struggles. Bellamy holds up a gun and now there is no more struggle.

~~~ **Author's Note** ~~~

Thank you Anime Unlimited Lover for following. So I know I said a few days for my next update and it was a little more than a few. So I'm going to say one update a week and if I'm in a good mood to write I might update a second chapter. Anyways I am probably going to start writing on chapter five today. Also please tell me what you think about my story, I'd really appreciate it. Another thing, if you see errors in my writing, could you pretty please let me know. Thank you everyone who has read my story, I'm up to 236 views! ^_^ Wooo! Y'all are awesome.


End file.
